[The mechanism of the effect of insulin on the interhormonal relations of androgens and glucocorticoids in the body].
Forty-six essentially healthy persons, 96 patients with carcinoma of the stomach (stage II, III and IV), 26 patients with idiopathic aseptic necrosis of the head of the femur and 42 patients in the time course of their medical condition related to traumata were studied for changes in the excretion of metabolites of androsteroidogenesis and glucocorticoids under the influence of insulin. It has been established that insulin actions on steroidogenesis depend upon interhormonal relations of androgens and glucocorticoids under their values being low, insulin stimulates androsteroidogenesis and reduces the production of glucocorticoids, while their high values are associated with activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis due to insulin hypoglycemia, with the production of glucocorticoids rather that androgens tending to be on the increase. There has been revealed for the first time the ability of insulin to stimulate, under dyscorticism, androsteroidogenesis and lower the production of glucocorticoids, which facts permit recommending the use of insulin to lessen catabolic, contrainsular, and immunodepressive effects of glucocorticoids in the organism.